


Check Off My Christmas List

by tryslora



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Best Friends, Christmas, Coming Out, First Kiss, M/M, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-21
Updated: 2012-11-21
Packaged: 2017-11-19 05:39:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/569698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tryslora/pseuds/tryslora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas is awkward, now that Scorpius and his best mate Albus are suddenly sharing a room after their fathers get together. But Albus being resistant to change makes it even more difficult for Scorpius to admit that he's been fancying someone: one James Sirius Potter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Check Off My Christmas List

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kitty_fic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitty_fic/gifts).



> This was a holiday gift for the 2012 holiday season, and Kitty has the printed copy. 
> 
> As always, JK Rowling owns the boys and the world; I just like to play here.

“It’s awkward, that’s what it is.” Albus groused as he haphazardly stuck spellotape on the package in front of him. “Strange and awkward.” He made a face at the spellotape, then as Scorpius watched, Albus unstuck it and meticulously lined it up correctly.

“It’s not so bad.” Scorpius leaned back against the bed, legs bent and arms crossed. He kept trying to remind himself not to be defensive, because if he was then Albus would start ranting again, and Scorpius’s skin would crawl with frustration. “I mean, we get to spend the holiday together, right? Best mates, same room.”

“I like having my own room.”

“Oh.” Scorpius looked at the floor. “Look, if it’s that much of a hardship, I’ll stop down the hall, see if James minds if I kip in there. I just figured this is going to be odd for all of us, at least we had something familiar.”

“Sod it, it’s not that Scor.” Albus pushed the package aside. He sat there, elbows against his knees, hands scrubbing through his thick hair. “I’m just not used to it. Mum’s off wherever with Dean and Dad’s… with your dad. I wasn’t exactly figuring on Dad suddenly owling me last month to say _oh by the way I’m bent and shacking up with your best mate’s dad now_. I haven’t had a lot of time to get used to it.”

“You’re arsed off that he’s bent.” Scorpius had been trying to figure out Al’s mood for the last month, but his best mate had been closemouthed until now.

Al made a low noise of irritation. “It’s not that. No, it is that. I mean. It’s not…” The words were strangled in his throat. “I’m not arsed off that he’s bent,” he finally said slowly. “I’m arsed off that he lied about it all that time. I’m arsed off that he’s obviously been seeing your dad for ages now, since they’ve decided that you and him are going to move in here and all, and that he’s never said a bloody word. You’d think they might’ve given us some time to get used to it.”

Scorpius smiled wryly. “They were probably worried about you doing what you’re doing now. You tend to get upset when things change.” He could understand if that was it. He’d known Albus Severus Potter since they were first years together, and he’d learned not to treat change lightly around his best mate.

Green eyes blinked. “I do not.”

Scorpius snorted, the sound soft and delicate. “You do. Remember when Lily started dating Lysander this year? Or what about when James owled you two months ago?”

The sound Albus made in response was inarticulate: twice, once to each point. “Fine, fine. Maybe. I just—I like things to be planned. Neat. _Easy_.”

“Life isn’t easy,” Scorpius told him. “Life is messy and complicated and not everything works out perfectly and oh _Merlin_ , that’s what you’re worried about, isn’t it.” Grey eyes went wide and he leaned forward, one hand on Al’s arm. “I promise, even if those two break it off, nothing’s going to mess with our friendship. No matter what, you and I are always friends.”

He had no idea what had gotten into Albus Severus Potter once upon a time, but something had, something that made him terrified of losing things. Maybe it was just the way his mind worked, needing to keep things neatly in line, needing to make sure that something was absolutely positively never needed again before it was discarded. Or maybe it was some trauma that made him terrified to let go.

No matter what it was, Scorpius ought to have remembered that _he_ was one of those things that Albus depended upon. That once he’d been let in, Al wasn’t going to let him go easily, and might be terrified of losing him.

“I promise,” Scorpius said again solemnly. “Now get that gift wrapped. Lily won’t forgive you if it’s anything less than perfect.” He was teasing, his toe nudging against Al’s leg, and he caught an answering smile.

Crisis averted, at least for now.

#

Just past half two in the morning, Scorpius snuck out of the room he was sharing with Albus. He’d fallen asleep easily enough a couple of hours before, but the strangeness of the house had awoken him. It echoed in places he didn’t expect, and was silent in other places. He thought he’d heard moaning, but there weren’t any ghosts here, not like at his grandmother’s place. And there were no birds outside, constantly chattering, like at his Dad’s flat in London. No, this place had a scent of age about it, and something that Scorpius couldn’t define. And it felt like family. Like depth. Like he both belonged here and was utterly out of place at the exact same time.

It didn’t make it uncomfortable, but it did make it hard to fall back asleep.

He crept down to the kitchen and made up a cup of cocoa, doing his damnedest to be silent. The last thing he needed was for the house to go on alert and the Head Auror to think that he was up to something. Although he suspected the Head Auror was fast asleep and well tuckered out upstairs somewhere.

Scorpius winced. He really didn’t want to think about that. It had been bad enough thinking about how his dad and mum had obviously once upon a time done it, but thinking about it as an active concept, and with Al’s dad… that was just odd to him.

But thinking about James… that thought made his breath catch in his throat, and his body tighten. Every since James had owled Al about his _boyfriend_ , he’d watched Al struggle with understanding his brother’s sexuality, while Scorpius struggled with the idea of knowing that James could actually be an accessible fantasy. If only he weren’t older, and taken.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

Scorpius flushed a deep rose, burying his nose in his hot cocoa and taking a quick gulp rather than turning to see that _fantasy_ unexpectedly appear. He choked on the heat of it, coughing roughly as James slapped him on the back. “Yes,” he finally replied, voice hoarse. “I thought cocoa would be good.”

“Is that cinnamon in it?” James summoned a mug. “Mind making me a cup? Sounds like a good idea, and it smells bloody brilliant.”

“Sure.” It let Scorpius turn away and try his best to wash images from his mind. He’d been _thinking_ about James for the past two months, and just now it was as if he’d summoned him with those thoughts. And there James stood, as utterly unconcerned with everything as he ever was, his pyjama bottoms slung low on his hips. And that chest… James was the reserve Keeper for the Cannons, ever since finishing up at Hogwarts last summer. He might not play every game, but it was obvious that he kept in tip-top shape, with washboard abs and a quiet strength in his lean frame. He was tall, some of the lanky Weasley genes obviously having slipped in despite his parents’ smaller heights. Scorpius had to look up at him, and he liked that.

There was a lot he liked about James Sirius Potter. A lot he’d been fancying for the last year or so, all through James’s last year at Hogwarts. It had been easier so far this year, until he’d gotten the news of their new living arrangements. The arrangements that meant that Scorpius had to wake up every morning in the same house as the bloke he fancied. Where they had to see each other while half asleep. Where they slept just down the hall from each other.

Scorpius drew in a deep breath and handed James the freshly made cocoa. “Let it cool first,” he cautioned.

“I think I’ve seen how painful it would be not to.” James grinned. “C’mon, let’s go sit in the front room. Now that your dad’s in the house, the portrait’s stopped whinging. I thinks she’ll like you and your proper Black blood, too.”

Sit on the couch. Behave normally. Scorpius wasn’t sure he could do that. He paused in the doorway, trying to breathe. “How’s your boyfriend?” he blurted out.

“Gerry?” James turned to face Scorpius, his nose wrinkling. “Gone. He didn’t like the Quidditch schedule. Or the fact that he had to deal with publicity sometimes. It was a big story, my first relationship since I started on the team, so the gossip pages made a big deal out of it. He couldn’t take it.”

“If he really thought you were worth it, he would’ve stuck it out,” Scorpius said firmly. “He obviously didn’t care enough about you.”

“Thankfully he wasn’t just in it for the publicity either.” James’s smile was wry. “There was one other bloke since then. We only made it one date because all _he_ wanted to do was get _in_ the paper. I’d rather be with a bloke who wants to date me, not the camera.”

“You deserve that.”

“Thanks.” James took a cautious sip of his cocoa, then raised his mug in salute. “I was right, that cinnamon tastes as brilliant as it smells. So. What about you? Have you been making this cinnamon concoction to seduce girls at Hogwarts?”

“Boys,” Scorpius blurted.

James blinked.

“Not that I’ve actually managed to seduce any.” Scorpius couldn’t seem to stop talking. “Actually, there isn’t anyone at Hogwarts that interests me. I mean, there _was_ , but not any more.”

“Because he’s not available?” James asked, taking a step closer. “Or, oh hell, was it Albus? He’s straight as anything, Scor, or he might be asexual, I’m not sure. I just don’t think—”

“It’s not Al.” Scorpius held his cocoa in both hands, nose buried in it for a moment as he inhaled the sweet spice. “Al had a girlfriend. He didn’t tell anyone, but he had one, for all of a week before she irritated him too much. I don’t think he actually wants another one right now. No. He doesn’t know, though. That I’m bent.” He was rambling, because James took another step closer and if Scorpius reached out he could touch his chest.

He could actually touch that currently naked, incredibly fit chest. Scorpius inhaled roughly. “He’s—the bloke finished up. He’s not at Hogwarts anymore.”

“Seen him since?” James leaned against the door jamb, looking down at Scorpius.

“Twice.” Once just before Scorpius had to back to Hogwarts for seventh year, when they’d gone to see James fly in a match, and then now. Here.

“You ever think about telling him that you fancy him?” James’s head tilted, gaze watchful.

“All the time.” And he thought about so much more, like what might happen if they kissed, or what it would be like if James, possibly, felt the same way.

James blinked once. Twice. Like an owl, Scorpius thought. An extremely fit owl.

“Mistletoe.” James pointed up, and Scorpius obediently tilted his head to see the sprig above them.

It put him in exactly the perfect position for James to palm the back of his neck and lean down and meet his lips, the kiss light at first. Tentative and curious, testing the waters. When Scorpius went up on his toes, hands sliding over James’s shoulders the clasp at the back of his neck, the kiss deepened, mouths sliding open and tongue meeting tongue.

Scorpius moaned softly, and he heard an answering groan as James tugged him closer, fitting their bodies together. Turning them to press Scorpius against the wall, leaning in as he snogged him thoroughly.

A crash.

Scorpius jerked his head to the side as James jumped back, both turning towards the noise. Al stood there in the hall, a vase on the floor as Albus steadied the table that he’d obviously just walked into. His cheeks were red, his eyes bright. “What—what are you—” Albus turned to glare at Scorpius, spitting out, “You _lied_ to me.” He turned on his heel and stalked away.

Scorpius looked from Al to James. “I need to…”

“Go on.” James nudged him. “We’ll talk later. And _talk_.” That slow burning smirk made Scorpius heat from the inside.

“Definitely,” Scorpius said quickly, then he raced after his best mate.

#

He found Albus in their room, sitting on his bed, curled in the corner where bed met wall. “I don’t want to talk about it,” Albus muttered.

“I didn’t want to tell you that I was bent because you’d already had to deal with so much.” Scorpius sat carefully on the edge of the bed. “I didn’t want to give you just one more thing to figure out, what with James and our dads already having set you off-balance.”

“I’m not upset that you’re bent!” Albus snapped, voice loud in the quiet night.

Scorpius winced and cast a quick privacy spell. “Good, I’m glad, because I’d hate to think you’re a bigot,” he said. “I know that part doesn’t bother you. I know you’re mad because I didn’t say anything.”

“How long have you known?”

Scorpius looked at his hands. This was the answer that was going to get him into trouble. “About two years,” he admitted.

“Why didn’t you _say_ anything?” Albus’s hands clenched tightly in his lap, knuckles white from tension. “Why didn’t you _trust_ me? Why did you just let… why…” He made a noise of strangled frustration. “I don’t _understand_ , Scor. We’re _best mates_. You just _said_ that.”

“And we are,” Scorpius assured him. “And we’re always going to be. Even if I date James, even if things go south, even if my dad tries to pack me up and move us to Antarctica because he’s gotten arsed off at _your_ dad, _nothing_ is going to change between you and me. Nothing.”

Silence, for several moments, aside from the sound of breathing. This time it was Scorpius’s turn to break it, and he chose his words carefully. “At first, I wasn’t sure. And I didn’t really want to talk to anyone until I figured it out.” He picked at the threads in Albus’s worn afghan. “I had a couple of thoughts, and I didn’t think it really meant anything. I thought everyone thought like that, just by accident. It wasn’t until I realized that I fancied James that I knew it for sure. But I didn’t think I ever had a chance there, because I thought—”

“James was straight,” Albus finished his sentence.

“Exactly. So I just… tried to forget all about it. And it was stupid, but if I couldn’t have James, I didn’t really want anyone, so I just bottled it all up and tried to ignore it completely.” Scorpius made a face. “And you know that if I’d told you, somehow Lily would’ve found out, and she would be trying to match me up with every bloke that even thought about being bent. I just—I wanted time to deal with it in my own head. Maybe I wasn’t quite ready to tell myself.”

“You told James.” The look was accusing.

“Well, yeah.” Scorpius couldn’t deny that. “The only way I was going to figure it out for sure was if I took a chance. So I took one.”

Albus breathed quietly, in and out, each breath measured and careful. “You’re right,” he finally admitted. “I don’t like change. But nothing’s going to stop changing now, is it, Scor? We’re already halfway through our seventh year, and James is out of Hogwarts already and working, and Mum’s traveling, and your dad and mine are… I don’t even want to think about it. And you—you like James. And I might get a girlfriend, or maybe not, I don’t even know what I want.”

“You don’t have to. It’s okay if you don’t want anything,” Scorpius told him.

“Is it?” Albus blinked wide green eyes at him, brows furrowed in confusion.

“Just live how you want to live,” Scorpius said. “That’s all any of us ought to want for each other.”

Albus nodded slowly. “Go on.” He jerked his chin at the door. “You two looked like you had more to talk about.”

#

Scorpius knocked on James’s door as quietly as he could manage. When the door nudged open a sliver, he pushed it open further, slipping inside. James sat on the bed, wand in his hand, twirling it between his fingertips. He touched his lips when he saw Scorpius, then cast a privacy spell and motioned for him to close the door.

“I heard Al yelling before it went silent,” James said as he set the wand aside. He stood, meeting Scorpius halfway into the room. “Is everything okay?”

There was concern there, worry for both himself and Albus, Scorpius thought. He stood completely still as James framed his face with his hands, leaned down to steal one quick kiss. “Everything’s going to be fine,” Scorpius said as soon as he caught his breath. “There’s just so much going on, and Al doesn’t deal well with change.”

A small smile quirked. “I think we all know that one. But he’ll work his head around it, won’t he? Is he upset about…” James touched Scorpius’s lip, then motioned between the two of them.

Scorpius shook his head. “No, that’s not it. He’s angry that I didn’t say a word while I was trying to work it out. Not when you owled him. Not when our dads came out. I just kept it all in because I wasn’t sure and I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it—”

“Not sure?”

“I’m sure,” Scorpius admitted. “I am now. I mean, I think I was before, but it’s a hard thing to really say to yourself until you’ve got good reason to never look back. Didn’t you think that before… Gerry?” He hesitated before saying the name because he was fairly certain that talking about a bloke’s ex-boyfriend wasn’t the best way to a snog.

James nodded. “Sometimes, yeah. And it’s not like I went around shouting it to the world until I started dating, either. So I see your point. Hopefully Al will, eventually.”

“I think he will.” Scorpius caught his lower lip in his teeth as he looked up at James. “He sent me over here for a reason, after all. So we could finish our… conversation.”

Lips brushed his teasingly. “Really?” James murmured. “Did you have something else to say?”

 _Take a chance_. Scorpius looked up and laughed when he saw the sprig of mistletoe dangling awkwardly from the window behind James’s bed. He shoved gently, pushing until the bed was behind James’s legs, and they both sat, Scorpius straddling James. “Mistletoe,” he said, then leaned in to thoroughly snog him.

Because yes, they had plenty more to say. And Scorpius looked forward to every word, nip, moan and groan of it.

#

He crept back into the room he shared with Albus several hours later, only shortly before dawn would streak the sky. As he slipped into his makeshift sleeping space on the floor, sheets rustled and Albus turned to look at him.

“S’allgood?” Albus slurred sleepily.

Scorpius was thankful for the darkness, so Albus couldn’t see his flush. “Everything’s brilliant,” he whispered. “Go back to sleep.”

“Mm.” Albus curled around his own pillow. “S’agood Christmas,” he murmured. “Got you as a brother, maybe twice over. Best gift.”

“I used to ask for a brother,” Scorpius admitted. “And now I’ve got one. But you won’t mind if I prefer to not think of James that way, will you?”

The answering laugh was muffled, trailing off into a sigh. “Not at all. G’night, Scor.”

Albus as a brother? Check. James as a boyfriend? Definite check.

As far as Scorpius could see, his Christmas list was complete.


End file.
